Émile-Antoine Bourdelle and the Midi: French sculpture and regional identity at the turn of the twentieth century
Date
2020
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
This dissertation addresses how the sculptor Émile-Antoine Bourdelle (1861-1929) displayed his status as a French southerner through his art while also considering the changing notions of regional identity in turn-of-the-century France. It covers the period 1884-1915 and examines Bourdelle’s sculpture, paintings, drawings, poetry, and letters. Interpretation of the artist’s work, as well as the way he reacted to new understandings of the French south, is developed through primary sources like art criticism and correspondence from fellow artists, patrons, and writers. Secondary material, like historical, cultural, and philosophical studies, and Bourdelle’s comparison to contemporary artists and intellectuals, are used to support arguments. ☐ The first chapter examines Bourdelle’s early years and the beginning of his professional career, looking at his artistic training and the influences he felt both in the south and in Paris. The development of Bourdelle’s art shows that he reacted to Parisian perceptions of southerners and that he was heavily influenced by contemporary art movements that were inspired by regionalism, like Symbolism and the École romane. Chapter two focuses on the first decade of the 20th century and Bourdelle’s shift to a Classically inspired artistic style that defined the rest of his career. Part of the discussion addresses how conservative nationalism in France developed from regionalist beliefs, and how Bourdelle used his status as a southerner to present himself as a French artist of the Classical tradition. The second chapter ends with an investigation of the militant themes in Bourdelle’s most famous sculpture, Herakles the Archer (1909). Chapter three centers on two works: the decoration for the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (1913) and Dying Centaur (1914). The sculptures represent a high point of Bourdelle’s classicism, but the artist’s lectures and personal statements also reveal the influence that southern vernacular architecture had on his design for the theater. Bourdelle’s lifelong struggle to negotiate a distinctly southern and national French identity became the theme for Dying Centaur. The artist’s letters and personal drawings reveal the complication he felt in presenting himself to the public.
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Keywords
Émile-Antoine Bourdelle, Midi, French Sculpture, Regional Identity